Various polymeric materials containing phosphonate groups have been reported as useful for such purposes as water treatment, leather retanning, pigment dyeing, and the treatment of animals. For example U.S. Pat. No. 3,719,756 discloses pharmaceutically acceptable poly(vinylidene diphosphonic acid) compounds which can be prepared by adding isopropyl ester of methylenediphosphonic acid to a slurry of sodium hydride in dry benzene and thereafter adding methylene bromide. U.S. Pat. No. 4,518,745 and 4,743,666 disclose the preparation of certain water-soluble copolymers (and metal chelates thereof) derived by polymerizing vinylphosphonic acid and/or vinylphosphonic acid esters with other monomers such as 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid, acrylamide, N-vinyl-N-methylacetamide, methacrylic acid, N-vinylpyrrolidone and/or styrene sulfonic acid. U.S. Pat. No. 4,446,046 discloses poly(alkenyl)phosphonic acid polymers such as poly(isopropenylphosphonic acid) which are prepared by polymerizing the desired alphabeta ethylenically unsaturated phosphonic acid monomers; and corrosion inhibiting and deposit control activity thereof in aqueous systems. European Patent Application Publication No. 0218351 discloses the preparation of polymeric materials from acrylic acid or methacrylic acid; 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropylsulfonic acid or 2-methacrylamido-2-methylpropylsulfonic acid; and 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropylphosphonic acid or 2-methacrylamido-2-methylpropylphosphonic acid; and the inhibition of corrosion and scale-forming salt precipitation therewith. Dialkyl esters of allyl phosphonic may be prepared in accordance with U.S. Pat. No. 4,017,564, and according to said patent, may be polymerized in a wide range of proportions with such monomers as acrylonitrile, vinyl and vinylidene halides, styrene and/or butadiene to form substantially non-flammable copolymers. However, unsaturated phosphonate monomers such as allylphosphonic acid are considered to have low reactivity and are thus relatively difficult to polymerize. M. Hartman et al. "Solution Behavior and Thermal Properties of Styrene Copolymer of Unsaturated Phosphonic Acids", Acta Polymerica 31, 700-703 (1980) disclose the solution behavior and thermal and mechanical behavior of styrene copolymers of unsaturated phosphonic acids and their ethyl esters. As expected, the solubility of these copolymers is determined by the position of the phosphonic acid group on the polymer chain. M. Hartman et al "Synthesis of Styrene Copolymers with Unsaturated Phosphonic Acids and Phosphonic Acid Esters", Acta Polymerica 31, 165-168 (1980) disclose a method of preparing styrene copolymers of unsaturated phosphonic acids wherein esters of vinyl phosphonic acid, allyl phosphonic acid, 4-vinyl benzene phosphonic acid and 2-(4-vinyl-phenyl) ethane phosphonic acid are first copolymerized with styrene and then subsequently hydrolyzed. These polymers may be used as ion exchange resins, flame retardants, coating materials for metal corrosion inhibition, and in improving the coloring of textile fibers. This reference discloses that neither phosphonylation of polymers nor copolymerization of unsaturated free phosphonic acids proved to be very suitable for the synthesis of soluble, phosphonic acid containing styrene copolymers.